Later that day, Ignis returned back to Enchanté after just a few hours in his home world. Normally he would spend at least a day or two at a time in Bestia...and quite often more than that, if necessary...in order to keep the peace and quell any challenges to his standing as the top fighting demon beast. However, on the current occasion, he just could not seem to stop thinking about Enchanté and what might be happening there, or with its new magical owner, in his absence. Therefore, he decided that...just for once...he would cut his obligatory time in the beast world short. That way he would be free to return back to what increasingly felt like...even after such a short time...his real home.
He was glad that he had done so, too, because just when he exited from the Gate and reentered the café...Uh! I mean the dining room, he reminded himself of the change and wondered if he would ever get used to it...the bell at the front suddenly rang. Ignis knew that only one of the Regulars normally used that entrance, so he was not at all surprised when Rindo stepped through it.
At least the man came bearing gifts, since he held several fast food bags and drink trays in his hands.
"Hello! I brought lunch," the agent cheerfully proclaimed when he saw the firewolf, "since I don't believe anyone here has been shopping, yet."
"The GPM still keepin' tabs on the place, then, huh?" Ignis grunted in annoyance...even though it was not really directed at the man in front of him...and he was indeed quite interested in the food offering. "Even after what happened the other day?"
"Not officially," Rindo assured him. "In fact, it's just..." His words were cut off, though, by the sound of light footsteps on the stairs that heralded the arrival of the new owner.
As Hermione descended, her curiosity obviously piqued by the sound of the bell, Rindo's look changed suddenly. He quickly sat the bags down on the closest table before he stood back up straighter and taller than ever. When he called out a greeting, his tone was also much more formal than it had been when he spoke to Ignis.
"Good afternoon, Miss Granger! You look well."
"Rindo." Her greeting in reply was simple and curt as she made eye contact with the man in front of her. "That's no thanks to your fellow GPM goons, of course," she added.
It was an indisputable truth, too, since it was only because of her magic and her non-human friends that she had managed to escape from that situation completely unscathed...with both her body and her ownership of Enchanté still intact. Plus, even though she had already decided that the particular agent in front of her was probably not as bad as she had originally assumed...especially after she heard what the non-humans residents had to say about the matter...he had not yet proven it to her personally. However, she was still willing to give him the chance to do so. Therefore, she waited for him to make the next move and explain his current presence in what was now her home.
By that time, the other non-human residents had gathered back down on the ground floor, as well, in order to witness the confrontation...and to step in, if necessary. However, such intervention proved unneeded when the man surprised them all tremendously as he bowed low before the woman.
"I owe you the greatest of apologies, Miss Granger, on behalf of both myself and my subordinates...for our collective disrespectful, disgraceful, and dangerous behavior on that day."
Despite her resolve, Hermione's heart softened immediately at the sight of the agent's submissive posture. After all, even as an outsider, she knew that a formal Japanese apology was no joking matter – especially when given in front of an audience. However, for her own peace of mind, she still needed to make sure that he truly meant the words he said, and was not just offering her superficial lip service.
"What brought about such a change in attitude?" she inquired in a gentler tone than before.
At the question, Rindo lifted his head and stood up straight again before he reached into his jacket and brought out a thick folder. Without a word, he handed it to the woman in front of him. She flipped through it for a moment before she looked up and actually smiled at the agent in acknowledgement.
"So...you finally did your homework!" The approval in her voice was obvious.
"Yes!" he replied in relief to her reaction and his usual easy-going smile returned to his handsome face. "You have quite the impressive history, Miss Granger. I can see now that we...I...took the completely wrong approach with you. I have learned my lesson. I should not have made such assumptions and I will not do so again in the future."
"Good! I agree completely. However, the approach of your colleagues was completely inappropriate for anyone, no matter if they have an 'impressive history' or not. Therefore, I do not forgive them and will take the matter up with them myself...soon!" Hermione bristled again in anger at the thought of attempted assault and deadly force before she visibly calmed down enough to continue in a softer tone.
"Your approach, however, while less dangerous...would still be completely offensive to any sensible woman. Nevertheless, it is a forgiveable offense, at least. Tell me, though, does that condescending attitude of yours really work with the girls around here? Even if it does, you are going to have to step up your game with me, Section Chief Rindo. After all...handsome or not...I expect much more from a man of your position and reported intelligence."
She looked away from him then as a sign that the matter was closed for the time being. Instead, she focused her attention towards his obvious peace offering...the bags on the table behind him.
"Now, did I also hear something about lunch?" she asked in her normal cheerful tone.
Kaoru Rindo smiled. Even though he realized that it was probably not the end of the issue...not by a long shot...he still understood that she was letting him off way too easy for the moment. After all, he knew very well what she was capable of because he had stayed awake and spent the entire night reading her official file from the "other" side of the Ministry. He literally could not bring himself to put it down once he had started. It had been that fascinating!
Even as a high-ranking agent that dealt daily with supernatural and other-worldly issues, he just could not believe the things that Hermione Granger had seen and done...or what she had been through personally. Consequently, he had been both thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed by the memory of the things he had said to her, both on a personal level and about the non-humans, specifically.
He still knew from first hand experience that non-humans could be dangerous...and that he would have been completely justified in such a warning to anyone else. However, he also now knew that it had been an absolutely unnecessary one to give to the particular woman in front of him...simply because she actually worked with non-humans on a daily basis in the magical world.
It was easily something which he would have known if he had just done his homework...as she had quite reasonably pointed out. He had been uncharacteristically lazy and complacent, however, when it came to their particular situation. After all, he really did honestly believe it would be an open and shut case once Souan's foreign female relative had discovered the type of situation and responsibility she had really inherited along with the café. However, his ego had taken a crucial hit when Hermione Granger had not immediately sucuumbed to his charm and let him handle the matter for her.
In reality, however, she had truly exceeded his expectations in every possible way when it became clear that she was not just any woman...and that was even before she had also turned out to be a witch, as well! Because of that, Rindo was extremely disappointed in himself that he had already blown his initial chance to impress her just as much. Thus, the agent recognized that he completely deserved her chastisement over his approach tactics and for his lack of preparation. Not only that, but he also knew that through his failure, he was ultimately responsible for the consequent actions of his subordinates, as well...even though they had not been acting on his orders at the time.
I'll work hard to change things, though...and to improve her opinion of me, too, he vowed to himself as he turned towards the non-humans who had gathered around the tables with them.
He then steeled himself for the jibes of the other Regulars...especially Misyr. He countered them easily with his own, however, and the surprisingly companionable-for-the-situation banter and insults flowed freely from both sides as he started to divvy out the contents of the lunch bags.
For her part, Hermione listened to their verbal sparring for a moment with obvious amusement, at least until she looked back down at the folder in her hands. The small smile that had been present on her face just a moment before then disappeared completely as she tossed the file onto the table with the food, as well. Rindo turned to look at her curiously, but she spoke only to the non-humans.
"Here," she told them in a suddenly emotionless tone. "I'm sure the GPM has more copies of this now, so help yourself. After all, I know you're curious...and there doesn't seem to be anything too embarrassing in there. Plus, if I don't have to explain everything myself, it will actually save me a lot of trouble in the long run."
Probably quite a bit of heartache, as well, she added silently. However, the sentiment did not actually have to be spoken in order to be understood.
Consequently, Misyr nodded to the others as the non-humans settled down with the contents of the folder and their burgers at one table while the humans sat at another table next to them. Hermione did her best to ignore the exclamations, gasps, and growls that came from the others as they read...including the occasional complete passage that was shared aloud...especially since she knew they would soon have plenty of questions for her. She could tell that Rindo did, too. Despite their tentative truce, however, she would make him wait until she could talk to everyone at the same time.
Instead, as they also ate, she explained to him what they had decided to do with Enchanté. After all, she knew he would find out soon enough, anyway.
"You're going to live here? With them? I can't say I support that idea," Rindo started to say, but faltered when he saw the suddenly dangerous glint in her eyes. He quickly threw up his hands in surrender. "But...you're an experienced and powerful woman who is intelligent enough to make her own decisions."
"Thank you for finally recognizing that fact," she responded dryly, but the sparkle had returned to her eyes.
Rindo could not help but to smile at her again. She's witty, too! he recognized as he again lamented not meeting her under better circumstances...even though he knew that had been his own damn fault. He should have done his research first and then requested a formal meeting to discuss the issue with her as one professional to another. At least then they would have been on better terms from the beginning.
At any rate, despite the current tension between them, he still knew without a doubt that he would much rather have Hermione Granger as an friend...or at least an ally...than an enemy any day! Fortunately, it seemed that he would have plenty of time to prove that to her and improve their relationship since she would be apparently be living at Enchanté almost full time while she was also employed with the JMoM.
The thought of the JMoM reminded him of the changes that would soon befall the GPM, as well. Apparently, their original parent organization had been made aware of the colossal missteps that had been made in the Enchanté matter. Thus, it had been decided that they would step in and revamp the training program for the agency's newbies to include a mandatory introduction to the wizarding world. For the seasoned agents, however, who were already supposed to be in the know, a magical consultant would be brought in for individualized assessments and to recommend remedial education in that area if it was deemed necessary.
In fact, Rindo had already been informed that he would be the one in charge of assisting that consultant. He knew that, even if it was being framed in a positive light, such a situation was really meant to serve as the punishment for his part in the Enchanté debacle. Nevertheless, he was relieved that his seniority and valuable experience had been recognized and taken into account and he was allowed to atone for the incident instead of it leading to an instant demotion from his position or even a complete removal from the agency. He could only hope, though, that the consultant would not be a complete pain to work with. After all, some of the wizards he had met in the past were really quite full of themselves.
How ironic! he could not help but to think as he realized that he was in such a position simply because he had acted in the exact same way himself. It was a lesson well worth learning.
As he considered those facts, however, a shadow fell over him. When he looked up, he saw that it was the Demon Lord himself who stood next to the table that he shared with the woman who had inspired that particular train of thought.
"You've been holding out on us, Miss Witch," Misyr declared in what sounded like his normal cheery voice, but the pleasant tone was belied by the grim set of the demon's mouth.
"Not really," Hermione countered as she nonchalantly took another sip of her drink before she easily met his glittering eyes. "When you first saw my scars, I did say that I would explain my situation at a later time. After all, do you go around telling everyone when you first meet them about the darkest moments of your past?"
Misyr's eyes widened as he experienced both a physical and mental jolt at the idea of what that would entail for him. After all, he knew very well exactly what would happen since the consequences of such a revelation in his case could be...quite literally...earth-destroying!
"I didn't think so," the woman added with a small smile that did not quite meet her eyes when she saw his reaction. "After all, everyone has things that they don't like to talk about. However, I'm not ashamed of anything that file says – especially since we were so young when my friends and I were thrown into a situation that we could not possibly control since even the adults around us could not handle it. Therefore, we quite honestly did the best we could with what we had...and I tried to take care of the others, no matter what. Much the same way that you try to shield those you care about, correct?" Her eyes flicked briefly over to Il.
Ah! So she's noticed that, Misyr mused. She's an observant one!
"Nevertheless, not being ashamed doesn't necessarily mean that I am proud of all of my actions, either," Hermione continued. "After all, looking back now, I know that I could have made some much better decisions...and maybe saved more people...even when in the midst of those life or death situations when I did not know whom I could trust." She paused and sighed heavily. "Hindsight's a fickle bitch, though, so I simply have to live with what happened and move forward in the best way that I can. I guess that's all that any of us can do. Right?"
She did not realize at first that her words had also hit such a chord with everyone else in the room, as well – not until she looked around and saw their serious faces...or expressive neck flames, as the case may be.
Of course! she thought to herself at the sight. Non-humans who choose to spend most of their time in the human world and the human who chooses to work with them would obviously all have their own personal baggage to deal with, as well. Therefore, maybe we are all more alike than we realize.
She smiled gently then as she recognized them for the kindred spirits they were. Maybe Souan...or fate...or whatever had ensured that she would end up at Enchanté... knew what would happen by bringing them together, after all. At any rate, she realized that she also wanted them to eventually be able to open up to her, as well. Consequently, she knew that she would have to be the vulnerable one first, so she made the offer.
"Even though I retain the right to refuse to discuss any topic, I will otherwise be happy to answer any questions that you might have about what you just read."
The agent and the non-humans were obviously a bit surprised by the offer, but curiosity soon overcame them and the others eagerly joined her and Rindo at their table.
Ignis was the first to take her up on the offer as he pulled up a chair next to her. "Did you really rob a goblin bank, steal their guard dragon, and use it to make your getaway?"
Hermione could not stop the automatic laugh that rose up at the question. Of course, the physically adventurous firewolf would ask that. However, there was no reason for her dissemble or to hide the information from them. Therefore, she answered honestly.
"Well...there were some serious extentuating circumstances...we were in the middle of a war, after all...and I did my best to make it up to the Goblin Nation later. However, yes, that really did happen. And no, I do not recommend that particular form of transportation because dragons are quite ill-tempered and breathe very hot flames. On second thought, though, maybe you might actually get along with them, Ignis, since you're such a hothead yourself." She paused to release a genuine laugh then as he scowled at her description of him. "I even have a friend who works with them, you know. If we ever get a chance, I'll introduce you two. Charlie would probably be just as excited and fascinated to meet a firewolf demon beast, as well."
The others went on to ask questions, too. Nevertheless, there was an unspoken agreement among them all to not upset the woman. Therefore, they tried to keep their inquiries focused on lighter topics for the time being and nothing that came close to the situations that had caused those terrible scars they had previously seen.
In fact, the otome-loving Il thoroughly distracted everyone for quite a while when he asked Hermione...in all seriousness...if the Harry, Ron, and Charlie that she had mentioned so casually earlier were actually part of her reverse harem. While he explained to the confused Canus what that term meant, Hermione easily laughed at the ridiculous notion. Nevertheless, since she knew they would probably often come up in her conversations about England, she also felt that it would be prudent to explain (much to the interest of the other Regulars) the true relationships of the men to her...along with that of the rest of the Weasley clan...and Neville, too. When she was finished, Il simply nodded.
"I understand," he replied in his gentle voice. "After all, the situation that we are in right now...five handsome male Regulars...four of whom actually live with you, the obviously beautiful and talented heroine...well...that is a much more logical scenario for a reverse harem situation, correct?"
The other men were all able to laugh at Hermione's sudden blush as she reacted to Il's praise and his thoughts on their unique arrangement...especially when it became clear that she had no idea how to answer his question, otherwise. After all, it was technically true...and it was quite an intriguing thought for them all when they realized that if they were indeed in an otome game...or even a rom-com...that there was a distinct possibility that their present situation could eventually lead to romance!
Nevertheless, despite that lighthearted and thought-provoking intermission, none of the them had forgotten about the darker parts of what they had just read in that folder. In reality, they all knew...including Rindo...that they would discuss the issues among themselves much further at a later time when Hermione was not present. Then they could decide exactly what issues needed to be clarified by the woman herself...or determine if there were any pending problems that might need to be addressed by them personally so that she would no longer be troubled by them. After all, it had not been forgotten that the woman herself had mentioned that she still had enemies out there.
In fact, at some point, the files themselves were slipped under a dark robe for closer perusal whenever the opportunity to do so would arise. After all, the mention of certain names were specifically wanted...and hopefully, their current locations would be included, as well.
After many more questions and answers, however, it was discovered that all of their cups were empty and apparently...in their distraction...had been that way for quite some time.
"How about some coffee, then, Misyr?" Rindo asked hopefully.
"Certainly...if you go to the store and buy it yourself!" the other countered with a bit of a malicious grin.
Hermione had noticed that those two, in particular, tended to argue quite a bit more than the others. Therefore, she discreetly leaned over to Canus and quietly asked about the situation.
Canus replied in a likewise manner. "Do not worry, Lady Hermione," he reassured her. "They will not admit it, but they are quite similar and, thus, actually make a great pair. I believe they work well together."
Hermione made a sound of relief that the situation was not serious just as Misyr and Rindo finally stopped their bickering. Consequently, the quiet noise still caught the demon's attention and his focus suddenly switched to Hermione, instead. In fact, he took the opportunity to ask her about her experience with the subject on hand.
"Do you happen to know how to pour coffee in the Japanese style, Princess?"
"Unless there is a drip machine back there somewhere that I just haven't noticed, yet, then I'm afraid I'm out of my depth," she admitted as she shook her head in the negative.
Ignis scoffed at her honest answer. "Just as I first thought," he said with a smirk. "You'd have been useless at running a café."
Hermione turned toward him. "Then I suppose that means you know how to do it?"
"I...uh...well..." Ignis went silent.
Hermione laughed heartily at his very telling confession, however. "I guess that Misyr will just have to teach us both then, won't you, my fearsome Demon Lord? Just like I taught all of you how to make pancakes this morning. As I recall, though, you were pretty useless at that, too, weren't you, Ignis dear?"
"Why you little witch...!" the firewolf wanted to be outraged but the fledgling emotion was cut short by the sight of the cheerful grin that stretched across the woman's pretty face.
He realized then that she was just teasing him again and that it was something that he would probably have to get used to if they were all going to continue to live together. Besides, he found that he did not really dislike that kind of interaction with her, at all. In fact, quite the opposite was true. He actually enjoyed their banter quite a bit. Therefore, he simply grunted instead as he ran his hand through his fiery red hair.
"I guess I deserved that, huh?" he admitted with the barest hint of a sheepish smile of his own.
Hermione simply smiled again and patted his hand in a friendly way that was neither confirmation nor denial of his statement. "By the way," was her upbeat reply, instead, "you do know that calling me a witch isn't actually an insult, right?"
From the other side of the table, the GPM agent followed their interaction with interest. After all, it seemed that the woman fit in with the non-humans at Enchanté much better than he could have ever imagined was possible at the beginning. In fact, in light of the current situation, his worries then really seemed to have completely in vain. However, one particular detail in their conversation still caught his attention.
"You lot made pancakes?" he asked in disbelief.
The question was full of surprise at the unusual idea of all of the non-humans in the kitchen in the first place – especially Il. Nevertheless, Hermione realized that she could detect quite a bit of wistfulness there, too, as well an almost desperate need to belong that maybe Rindo did not even fully realize himself. She could easily recognize the familiar emotion, though, since she had so often felt it herself in the past.
The witch knew then that...in one way or the other...even though it was no longer a café...and he did not actually live there...Rindo would probably continue to be a regular visitor at Enchanté, anyway.
She even found that, despite their rough start, she was surprisingly supportive of the idea.
The more, the merrier, she thought cheerfully as she returned her attention to those who surrounded her. After all, the lonely little girl that she had once been...as well as the confident woman she had grown to be...was so pleased and proud to currently be a part of such an unique group of friends.